Round and Round
by BeneathTheUmbrella
Summary: Ted and Tracy's first date continues. This is the follow-up to my previous story, The Late Train.


_Thanks so much for the lovely feedback on my previous story. More are to come in this series, exploring the first year of Ted and Tracy's relationship. So do stay tuned for more!_

* * *

_9pm_

* * *

They circled the block again, once, twice, holding hands, getting to know one another a bit more. Ted was ecstatic that the date didn't end early, and he was eager to find out as much as possible about Tracy.

Siblings? He had one younger sister. Tracy had two older brothers. ("Watch out," she teased.)

Favourite book? Ted shared his love of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, with _Love in the Time of Cholera_ in particular. She revealed T.C. Boyle's _World's End_ as her favourite. ("God I love that book," he agreed with her.)

Least favourite food? "I love the smell of Indian food—my couch even stalls like spices from the restaurant downstairs—but the food really doesn't sit well with me," Ted admitted. "And I probably shouldn't have told you that..."

Tracy laughed. "It's okay; although I've made a mental note not to add any curry paste to any dish I may cook for you."

"I'd appreciate that," Ted said. "How about you?"

"I'm not partial to Japanese," she admitted. "I don't understand the appeal of sushi! I really don't."

"One of the very few in the city who doesn't," Ted teased.

"I know. Judge me all you want. All of my friends do_—_it's become a joke every time we go out to eat."

"Well, I like people who march to the beat of their own drum," Ted told her, giving her a smile. "Unlike all those sushi-loving conformists out there."

Ted soon realized they were back in front of her building. Ted gazed at her, grasping her hand still. "So, I guess this is good night?" Ted asked, unsure.

Tracy looked up at the building and then back at him. "This isn't my building. I'm a couple blocks that way," she pointed behind him, smiling knowingly.

Ted chuckled. "My mistake," he said, playing along. "Shall we?"

"We shall," she said, walking ahead and pulling Ted with her.

And they were off.

* * *

_9:45pm_

* * *

"Favourite movie?" Ted asked.

"_Sleepless in Seattle_," she answered without missing a beat.

Ted gasped: "Mine, too! Or, um, I meant _Star Wars_," he finished with what he hoped was a masculine-sounding tone.

Tracy laughed. "Oh no, mister, you're going to have to elaborate on that one."

He sighed. "What can I say? I enjoy a good love story, especially one centered around the architectural marvel that is the Empire State Building."

"Fair enough," said Tracy. "You seem like the romantic type. But I guess you're also the typical nerdy guy who likes the usual: _Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters..."_

Ted smiled and squeezed her hand. "You have me pegged," he admitted. "And I can see that you're the typical rom-com loving girl. I'm thinking _When Harry Met Sally, You've Got Mail, Bridget Jones's Diary, Love Actually_?_"_

"Yup!" Tracy agreed. "The classics. Oh, and more current stuff. You know, like _The Wedding Bride_."

Ted's heart dropped. "You enjoyed _The Wedding Bride_?" he asked.

"I did," she confirmed. "But I can admit they overdid it on the cheese factor. And that they really made Jed Mosely into a caricature. Especially in the sequel, which I didn't particularly enjoy. But I guess every movie requires a "villain"."

Ted smiled. "So you were rooting for Jed Mosely?"

"Well, it's hard to dislike someone who knows how to pronounce the word 'renaissance' correctly," she said. "Have you seen the movies?"

"Um, yeah," he said. "They were okay."

"Hey, I have an idea!" Tracy said excitedly, stopping in her tracks and turning to face him. "_The Wedding Bride 3_ is hitting theatres in July..."

"There's another one?!" Ted said exasperatedly, and perhaps louder than he wanted to. "Er, sorry. I just hate it when Hollywood overdoes it with the sequels." _Nice save, Ted._

Tracy stared at him funny. "Yeah. Anyway, I love mocking movies; it's practically a hobby of mine. We can probably go see it, just to laugh at how bad it is! If it weren't in a theater, we could've also had a flask on-hand and made a drinking game out of it!"

Ted couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. "That sounds like fun," Ted told her. And he was surprised that he meant it. Enduring two hours watching a skewed version of his life splashed on the big screen didn't seem so bad if it meant he'd be sitting next to Tracy.

"Cool," said Tracy happily, as they continued to walk.

They strolled past her building again without even noticing.

* * *

_10:20pm_

* * *

By this point, Ted and Tracy were both hungry. They grabbed a few slices of pizza on-the-go from an Italian restaurant, and continued walking.

"Number of serious boyfriends?" Ted asked her. "Or are exes off limits on a first date?"

"Hey, you already saw one of them tonight," Tracy said. "So I guess it's a free-for-all at this point."

Ted laughed, and looked at her expectantly.

"Only two," she shared. "My first boyfriend Max, whom I met in high school. We were together for... a long time..."

Tracy trailed off and sounded wistful, sad. Ted grew concerned. "You okay?" he asked. "A sore topic?"

She smiled sadly. "No, not at all. I just think about him every once in a while. Um, and then there was Lewis, who you saw earlier."

"Ah, yes, the ring guy," Ted said. "He seemed scary."

"He's a big guy, but harmless," she assured him. "How about you?"

"Not that many, if we're talking serious girlfriends," Ted shared. "There was Karen, my on-and-off girlfriend during high school and college."

"I then had a couple of serious-ish girlfriends after I moved to New York. Then there was Victoria, who moved to Germany." Ted hesitated. "And then there was Robin_—_"

"Robin?" Tracy asked. "Your friend who got married?"

"Um, yeah," Ted confirmed. "Is that weird?"

He knew it. This was going to be a sore point, like with Victoria. Maybe being friends with his ex _was_ preventing him from moving forward. And now Tracy was going to be intimidated, and not want to see him again over the Robin issue; if not now, then sometime down the road, surely.

But she surprised him.

Tracy shrugged. "It is a little, I'll admit. But so many couples pull the lame "let's be friends" line after a break-up. I think it's pretty cool you guys were able to, in fact, stay friends. It's impressive, actually."

"You sure?" Ted asked. "Because if you want me to cut her out of my life..."

"Whoa there, cowboy, slow down!" Tracy laughed. "I would never ask that of you. Who am I to split up a friendship, this tight knit gang of yours that you've known forever? You've only just met me."

"It's just... It's been an issue before," Ted told her honestly. "And, if you and I... become a 'you and I', I just want you to be comfortable with it."

Tracy smiled. "Thanks for that," she said gently. "But I am. I promise. Besides, she seemed pretty cool."

"You sure?" Ted asked.

"Very," she assured him. "So who else is left?"

"Not many. There was Stella_—_we were engaged, but she left me at the altar."

"Oh, wow, I'm so sorry!" she said sympathetically, giving his fingers a tender squeeze. "That... sucks."

"That sums it up in one word," Ted laughed. "But, yeah, that breakup did a number on me."

"I'm not surprised," Tracy said sadly. "What happened?"

"She went back to her ex-husband."

"Like in _The Wedding Bride_!" Tracy told him, to lighten things up a bit.

_Oh, if only you knew_, Ted thought, amused.

"Was she the last one?"

"Almost. We follow that up with Zoey and Jeanette_—_although she was not that serious. But she _did_ help me solidify the fact that I didn't want to be playing the dating game anymore."

"How'd she do that?"

"She was crazy," he said.

"Aw, that's mean," Tracy told him, probably sympathizing with Jeanette. "You can't just label someone crazy like that."

"I would never," he assured her. "But she was literally crazy: she stalked me for months, and once started a fire just to have a reason to talk to me. And I was, oddly, flattered."

Tracy laughed. "Oh my God! So when did you take off those rose-colored glasses and realize she was insane?"

"Probably the time she barricaded herself in my apartment and started throwing my stuff out the window, and blowing them up with fireworks," he said, recalling that dreadful evening. "Man, that was a bad night."

"Wow," Tracy breathed out. "The dating world really can be treacherous."

"It really can." Ted gazed at Tracy. "I kind of hope I never have to be out there again."

Tracy blushed and smiled shyly. "I hope you don't have to either."

* * *

_11:30pm_

* * *

"And that is the story of how I got myself locked in a mailbox," Ted was saying, through Tracy's howls of laughter.

"Man, I do not regret asking you about your most embarrassing moment," she said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," Told told her. "You now owe me an embarrassing story, though, so make it good."

They made their way back to Tracy's building, the street now practically deserted this late on a Wednesday night. Tracy's feet were also struggling in their heeled, leather confines.

"My feet are killing me," she groaned, putting one of her hands on Ted's shoulder for support. "May I?"

He nodded, and delicately but firmly put his arm around her waist, to keep her balanced as she slipped off her shoes.

"Much better," she said with a satisfied moan, as she stood up straight, heels in hand, bare feet on the sidewalk. "What time is it anyway?"

Ted reached for his phone in his back pocket. "Wow, 11:30! Guess we lost track of time..." He didn't tell her, but he could've easily kept on walking and talking for a few more hours.

"No wonder my feet are killing me," Tracy bemused. "I should wear sneakers next time I go out with you."

Ted chuckled. "I swear, we'll keep walking to a minimum next time." He paused. "Will there be a next time? I know you said you weren't ready to date again..."

She smiled coyly. "That was 3-hours-ago Tracy. She was talking crazy. Besides, lots has changed since then."

"Okay, then!" he responded, not even attempting to hide the excitement in his voice. "Can I walk you up?"

"Sure," Tracy said as they walked up the front steps. "But just to be sure, you actually want to walk me upstairs, right? And not _walk me upstairs_? Because I don't really_—_"

Ted cut her off as he held open the door for her. "I promise; there's nothing disingenuous here. I just want to make sure you get upstairs safely_—_some shady folks could be lurking in the halls, after all."

Truly, though, the urge was there. That sweet, intoxicating kiss earlier in the evening stirred something inside of him, and he was eager to get to know Tracy in every possible way. But he wasn't in any rush; something was telling him that she was worth the wait, that hurrying things up was unnecessary. He wanted to take the time to savor every moment with her.

"Alright then," she said as they made their way to the elevator. She pressed the button. "And you're right about all those lurkers, by the way."

"The Upper West Side is full of them, I told you."

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. They walked in and Tracy hit the button for the seventh floor. They rode in silence, and Ted reached over and held out his hand**—**she gave him hers willingly.

They made it to the seventh floor ("Safely," Ted pointed out. "You should be glad I offered to take you up."), and they slowed their steps as they walked towards Tracy's apartment, 7A, prolonging their date as much as possible.

"Well, here were are," Tracy said, with a touch of disappointment in her voice.

"You sure it isn't a few floors that way?" Ted teased, pointing upwards.

She giggled. "Pretty sure it's here," she told him, reaching in her purse for her keys. She struggled with her shoes, so he took them from her to help free up her hands. "I had a great time."

"Me, too," Ted told her. "Do you want to go out again? We can actually sit down and eat this time. And I can buy some Gold Bond for your aching feet. It'll be hot, I promise."

"You had me at Gold Bond," she said. "I'd love to. How does tomorrow sound?"

"Crap, tomorrow's bad," Ted admitted. "Marshall and Lily are having a small goodbye party, since they're flying off on Friday."

"Well, we can do Friday n_—_"

"Maybe you can come with me?" he interrupted.

"You sure?" Tracy asked, uncertain.

Ted did think that _maybe_ he should confirm with Lily first, but he was already on a roll. "Totally! They really like you, and I'm sure they'd love to see you again before they go."

"Okay," Tracy said slightly hesitant, but excited. "It should be fun. Maybe I can bake some cookies for Lily; she really seemed to like them."

"Yeah, Lily did go on all weekend about something called 'sumbitches' that she had on the train," Ted said, inching closer to her. "Gonna have to try them for myself."

Tracy took a step closer. "Better be careful about what you say. Those cookies are dangerous_—_no man has been able to resist them." The tone in her voice was undeniably flirty.

Ted felt his heart flutter. "I think I can handle it," he whispered, gazing into her eyes, breaking the distance between them.

He pressed his lips to hers, gently but eagerly. It had the same uncertain tenderness as their first kiss earlier in the evening, but this time, it was more intense, more passionate. Tracy responded quickly, pressing her body against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he circled his around her waist tightly, the grip his fingers had on her shoes gone, dropping them on the floor with a light clatter. He softly drew his tongue across her lips, quickly feeling them part, and dove in, allowing his tongue to explore hers, and she his.

Tracy's hands were now in his hair, her fingers at the nape of his neck. One of his hands ventured upwards to her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb, his other hand still resting at her waist. He pulled away to look at her. Her eyes were still closed, her cheeks flushed, her breathing erratic.

"So," Ted whispered, voice hoarse, his forehead pressed against hers. "I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Sounds good," Tracy breathed out, her voice shaky. She opened her eyes, as if waking up from a dream, and disengaged herself from him, and turned to unlock her door.

She popped open her door, and turned back to him. "Goodnight," she told him.

He leaned closer. "Goodnight," he answered. He leaned in again, making sure to only give a few chaste pecks on her lips_—_anything more would've been dangerous. "I had a great time."

"Same here," she said.

As she was about to enter her apartment, Ted noticed her heels by his feet. "Wait, your shoes!" Ted said, picking them up from the ground. He handed them back to her, their fingers grazing. "Sleep well," he told her.

"You too," she said, entering her apartment, gazing at him through the crack of the door until she closed it shut.

Ted leaned his forehead on the door and let out a shaky, satisfied sigh. He thought he heard breathing on the other side of the door.

He pulled back, looked at Tracy's door one last time, and turned around.

He pulled out his phone, and dialed Lily's number. "Hey, Lily! Sorry to call you this late. I just wanted to ask: is it okay if Tracy comes along to the party tomorrow?" he asked as he walked back towards the elevator.


End file.
